Shutdown of US government websites appears bafflingly arbitrary

Of 56 .gov websites that Ars checked, only 10 are going dark entirely.

At midnight ET on Tuesday morning, the American federal government shut down operations as a result of the Congressional budget impasse. Currently there's no immediate end in sight, so a mish-mash of government agencies are open and closed. National parks and museums are off, but mail is still being delivered to American households.

On Saturday, Ars took a quick look at which US government agency websites would be going dark during the shutdown. Those included the Federal Trade Commission, the Library of Congress, and the National Park Service sites. They all planned to go dark and have done so.

The federal court system is remaining open, as it has a financial reserve that should last around two weeks. Similarly, the United States Patent and Trademark Office could stay open for approximately four weeks.

However, we have now conducted a more thorough examination of 50-plus different .gov websites. In the chart below, we have highlighted whether they are up or down, and what, if any, notice they are giving to their visitors. We hand-selected the federal agencies from a list posted on usa.gov—which obviously remains up.

What emerges is a rather bizarre picture. Nearly all of the agencies we looked at are up, even those with a message about the shutdown. Very few, in fact, have genuinely closed down entirely. (One DC watcher speculated that this White House memo [PDF] may have something to do with the policy.)

We may update this list as needed, but feel free to add more in the comments.

Down for the count

nasa.gov

"Due to the lapse in federal government funding, this website is not available. We sincerely regret this inconvenience."

loc.gov

"Due to the temporary shutdown of the federal government, the Library of Congress is closed to the public and researchers beginning October 1, 2013 until further notice. All public events are cancelled and web sites are inaccessible except the legislative information sites THOMAS.gov and beta.congress.gov."

archives.gov

"We are unable to blog, post to Facebook, or tweet during the Federal Government shutdown. (This does not apply to the Federal Records Centers.)"

ftc.gov

"Unfortunately, the Federal Trade Commission is closed due to the government shutdown."

nps.gov

"Because of the federal government shutdown, all national parks are closed and National Park Service webpages are not operating. For more information, go to www.doi.gov."

usda.gov

"Due to the lapse in federal government funding, this website is not available. We sincerely regret this inconvenience."

census.gov

"Due to the lapse in government funding, census.gov sites, services, and all online survey collection requests will be unavailable until further notice."

trade.gov

"Due to the lapse in government funding, the International Trade Administration website you are trying to reach will be unavailable until appropriations are enacted. We sincerely regret this inconvenience."

ssa.gov

omsre.gov

Still up for now

nsa.gov

"Due to the Government Shutdown, this site is not being updated."

sec.gov

"SEC Operating Status: The SEC will remain open and operational in the event the federal government undergoes a lapse in appropriations on October 1. Any changes to the SEC's operational status after October 1 will be announced on this website. The SEC's current operational plan in the event of an SEC shutdown is available here."

fbi.gov

cia.gov

aoc.gov

"Due to a lapse in government funding, this website is not currently being updated."

arctic.gov

atf.gov

usgs.gov

usbg.gov

"Due to a lapse in government funding, the U.S. Botanic Garden is closed until further notice. All programs, events and tours are cancelled while the garden is closed. Information about reopening will be posted here when available."

doi.gov

bop.gov

bls.gov

"This website is currently not being updated due to the suspension of Federal government services. The last update to the site was Monday, September 30. During the shutdown period BLS will not collect data, issue reports, or respond to public inquiries. Updates to the site will start again when the Federal government resumes operations. Revised schedules will be issued as they become available."

cdc.gov

"Due to the lapse in government funding, only web sites supporting excepted functions will be updated unless otherwise funded. As a result, the information on this website may not be up to date, the transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted."

cbo.gov

consumerfinance.gov

fema.gov

"NOTICE: Due to the lapse in federal funding, portions of this website may not be updated and some non-disaster assistance transactions submitted via the website may not be processed or responded to until after appropriations are enacted."

fec.gov

fdic.gov

federalreserve.gov

gsa.gov

"As a result of a temporary government shutdown, GSA.gov is not being updated at this time. More information on GSA’s shutdown procedures is available."

oge.gov

gpo.gov

"The Federal Government is shut down due to a funding lapse. Consequently, gpo.gov will not be updating information for the public until funding is restored. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

bia.gov

bjs.gov

mmc.gov

"The Administration does not want a lapse in appropriations to occur and has expressed its willingness to work with Congress to avert such a lapse. However, prudent management requires that agencies be prepared for that possibility. To that end, the Marine Mammal Commission has prepared a shutdown plan to be implemented in the event of a lapse in appropriations. Please click here [PDF] to view the Commission's plan."

nigc.gov

"The NIGC is open and normal operating procedures are in effect. Due to the government shutdown, mail service is suspended at NIGC offices. Please contact the region offices directly with any time sensitive matters."

nhtsa.gov

nist.gov

noaa.gov

"Due to the Federal Government shutdown, NOAA.gov and most associated web sites are unavailable. However, because the information this site provides is necessary to protect life and property, it will be updated and maintained during the Federal Government shutdown."

nrc.gov

nwtrb.gov

osc.gov

"If the federal government shuts down as of October 1, 2013, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel will cease most of its operations for the duration of the shutdown. The processing of most complaints will be suspended, and all filing and processing deadlines will be extended by the number of days the government shuts down."

occ.gov

ofr.gov

peacecorps.gov

prc.gov

"Because of a lapse in appropriations, the Commission is currently closed and will reopen when funding has been approved. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

rferl.org

rfa.org

bbg.gov

"U.S. international media activities under the BBG that are deemed 'foreign relations essential to national security,' such as news programming and distribution, are excepted from the shutdown and will continue."

sba.gov

"Due to the lapse in government funding, only websites supporting excepted functions will be available unless otherwise funded. As a result, the information on this website may not be up to date, the transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted."

supremecourt.gov

sss.gov

"Due to a lapse in appropriations, Selective Service System (SSS) operations are currently shut down. Please note that any information on this website may not be up to date, any transactions submitted via this website might not be processed until after appropriations are enacted, and the agency will not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted."

secretservice.gov

"NOTICE: Due to the lapse in federal funding, this website will not be actively managed. This website was last updated on September 30, 2013 and will not be updated until after funding is enacted. As such, information on this website may not be up to date."

cfa.gov

"In the event that the shutdown lasts for an extended period, the Commission of Fine Arts staff will notify the public on this website about the status of the next meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts, currently scheduled for Thursday, October 17. We will be unable to resume operations, including notification about the schedule of meetings, until funding is appropriated by Congress for the new fiscal year."

Due to a lapse of appropriations and the partial shutdown of the Federal Government, the systems that host nces.ed.gov have been shut down. Services will be restored as soon as a continuing resolution to provide funding has been enacted.

Completely shutting off the website is a little extreme. Simply stopping maintenance and putting a note up that nobody is home seems more than sufficient to me. I assume most of these are hosted in a data center somewhere that was already paid to host them.

At midnight ET on Tuesday morning, the American federal government shut down operations as the result of the debt-ceiling crisis.

The debt ceiling crisis isn't for a couple weeks. This was just the fiscal year ending.

This. Debt ceiling debate did not cause this shutdown, at least not directly. Congress did not pass the federal budget... just like back in Clinton days. That inaction has caused the shutdown directly.

Due to a lapse of appropriations and the partial shutdown of the Federal Government, the systems that host nces.ed.gov have been shut down. Services will be restored as soon as a continuing resolution to provide funding has been enacted.

At midnight ET on Tuesday morning, the American federal government shut down operations as the result of the debt-ceiling crisis.

The debt ceiling crisis isn't for a couple weeks. This was just the fiscal year ending.

This. Debt ceiling debate did not cause this shutdown, at least not directly. Congress did not pass the federal budget... just like back in Clinton days. That inaction has caused the shutdown directly.

I do find it strange that people are acting like this is some unprecedented event...

Seems like the websites that are up, are up for a specific reason, and are not arbitrary in the slighest. Most of the websites give a reason that "only websites supporting excepted functions will be available unless otherwise funded" is very specific.

There are a good number of federal employees that are in an excepted position and/or currently have funding for the time being. Futhermore the reason these websites are being taken are is for another specific reason, if these websites remained up, the american citizens would not realized the government being shutdown actually is an issue past a few weeks.

Besides these organizations likely do not maintain these websites on their own, and the organization or group that does, is actually furloughed.

At midnight ET on Tuesday morning, the American federal government shut down operations as the result of the debt-ceiling crisis.

The debt ceiling crisis isn't for a couple weeks. This was just the fiscal year ending.

This. Debt ceiling debate did not cause this shutdown, at least not directly. Congress did not pass the federal budget... just like back in Clinton days. That inaction has caused the shutdown directly.

I do find it strange that people are acting like this is some unprecedented event...

Yes, this is all bullshit aimed at the heartstrings of Americans. Really? Do you think that a little bit of ones and zeros really adds up to the fact that they need to shut down web pages?

I am no fan of Obamacare, or how the Republicans are going about what they are doing...but shutting off resources that run fine without updates is a little harsh.

Oh, and the Pandacam at the national zoo in DC is down...even with the "Sponsored by Ford Motor Company Fund" text above. C'mon, does it REALLY cost anything for a camera to sit there and run 24/7 and feed data to a server? Those cameras are powered up, the servers are powered up, they are not physically shutting them off.

At midnight ET on Tuesday morning, the American federal government shut down operations as the result of the debt-ceiling crisis.

The debt ceiling crisis isn't for a couple weeks. This was just the fiscal year ending.

This. Debt ceiling debate did not cause this shutdown, at least not directly. Congress did not pass the federal budget... just like back in Clinton days. That inaction has caused the shutdown directly.

I cannot agree with you more.

Besides the Debt Ceiling not being increased would not actually cause a Government Shutdown, we literally don't know what it would cause, because it has NEVER happen before. A budget bill not being passed and causing a government shutdown has happen before, the last time it happened, the government didn't have funding for (around) 21 days.

Lets be honest. We would have bigger problems then the government being shutdown if the debt ceiling was not increase, it would mean that, NOTHING (should) would be operational because the national "charge card" could not be used anymore.

Yes, this is all bullshit aimed at the heartstrings of Americans. Really? Do you think that a little bit of ones and zeros really adds up to the fact that they need to shut down web pages?

I am no fan of Obamacare, or how the Republicans are going about what they are doing...but shutting off resources that run fine without updates is a little harsh.

Oh, and the Pandacam at the national zoo in DC is down...even with the "Sponsored by Ford Motor Company Fund" text above. C'mon, does it REALLY cost anything for a camera to sit there and run 24/7 and feed data to a server? Those cameras are powered up, the servers are powered up, they are not physically shutting them off.

Again, it is all buhelsheit!!

As flippant as my remarks above are, they really are just following the letter of the law. Things funded by federal money not directly related to national security and saving lives, and which do not have multi year funding are being shut down because that's what happens when the federal government shuts down. It has nothing to do with pulling on heart strings. Of course it's dumb, of course it's arbitrary, everything that doesn't have a specific exemption is being shut down and of course that's effecting things people care about. Eight hundred thousand people were told not to bother going to work today. Did you think that wouldn't have some ramifications?

I don't understand. The government runs their own servers right? Is it because the IT is off and they don't want the websites up in case something happens or can they literally not pay for the electricity to run them? I agree, it sounds like a very arbitrary closing.

Yes, this is all bullshit aimed at the heartstrings of Americans. Really? Do you think that a little bit of ones and zeros really adds up to the fact that they need to shut down web pages?

I am no fan of Obamacare, or how the Republicans are going about what they are doing...but shutting off resources that run fine without updates is a little harsh.

Oh, and the Pandacam at the national zoo in DC is down...even with the "Sponsored by Ford Motor Company Fund" text above. C'mon, does it REALLY cost anything for a camera to sit there and run 24/7 and feed data to a server? Those cameras are powered up, the servers are powered up, they are not physically shutting them off.

Again, it is all buhelsheit!!

If any of those services required a furloughed employee that would be reason the service was shutdown.

While some of the closures can be explained, by trying to explained the hardships at the heartstrings of Americans, those hardships none the less are very much real.

I don't understand. The government runs their own servers right? Is it because the IT is off and they don't want the websites up in case something happens or can they literally not pay for the electricity to run them? I agree, it sounds like a very arbitrary closing.

The letter of the law says they literally cannot pay for the electricity unless it has a specific exemption or falls into one of the categories I mentioned above. Social Security is the most notable exception, during previous shut downs SS theoretically had money to pay out to retirees, but did not have the legal ability to have someone send the checks, because there wasn't an exception written in.

I don't understand. The government runs their own servers right? Is it because the IT is off and they don't want the websites up in case something happens or can they literally not pay for the electricity to run them? I agree, it sounds like a very arbitrary closing.

Some organizations do, some organizations do not, some organizations share a common server with multiple organizations.

If a single employee that is in charge of those servers are furloughed they would have to shut the server down until they came back to work. Because after they left today they will not report to work until there is funding for the organization they actually work for.

Besides there is a huge push to decrease the number of government data centers so combinding websites into a single server makes sense.

I work as a contractor in Acquisition for the US Government and it seems to be arbitrary, but the real reason is probably a combination of: most of the government workers just got furloughed, some IT support and maintenance contracts are up for option/renewal and there is no 14 budget yet to pay for them. Contractors already funded with FY 13 dollars are OK through their end of the period of performance, which could stretch into 14.

Completely shutting off the website is a little extreme. Simply stopping maintenance and putting a note up that nobody is home seems more than sufficient to me. I assume most of these are hosted in a data center somewhere that was already paid to host them.

Bandwidth, electricity, etc are all metered and subject to new charges. Absent a budget for such things, they have to turn them off.

It is ridiculous, but is not due to running out of money. The US gov't fiscal year is October 1 to September 30, Congress simply didn't pass a budget for FY14, and other than specific "essential services" the law is that many agencies shut down if no budget is passed.

I'm amazed that this can really happen in a big country like the USA. I can't remember this ever happening here in Canada. The only service disruptions I can remember are public service strikes.

Did they literally just run out of money before the end of the budget year? That sounds ridiculous to someone looking in from outside.

If it isn't in the budget they can't pay for it. Also government agencies like to go out and spend money that wasn't spent right at the end of the fiscal year in order to guarantee they get at least the same amount of money for the next year.

I'm amazed that this can really happen in a big country like the USA. I can't remember this ever happening here in Canada. The only service disruptions I can remember are public service strikes.

Did they literally just run out of money before the end of the budget year? That sounds ridiculous to someone looking in from outside.

No the budget year just ended and congress couldn't be bothered to stop their bickering long enough to do their damn job and pass a budget to continue funding. Actually a continuing resolution because making an actual budget is beyond these yahoos. in effect the government has money (till the debt ceiling issue in a couple weeks) but congress has not said who gets how much thus the federal government shut down all non essential services.

I'm amazed that this can really happen in a big country like the USA. I can't remember this ever happening here in Canada. The only service disruptions I can remember are public service strikes.

Did they literally just run out of money before the end of the budget year? That sounds ridiculous to someone looking in from outside.

No, they didn't run out of money before the end of the budget year. The Federal fiscal year starts on October 1st, and what has happened is that Congress has not passed a bill authorizing any amount of spending for that year (FY 2014). So they've started the budget year with no, well, budget. Only essential functions or those authorized on a permanent/multi-year basis (like Social Security) are legally allowed to operate as a result.

What I find peculiar is that the last few times I checked the Fermilab and NERSC websites and internal functions were still up (I'm a particle physicist who works with the latter). Surely those must be non-exempt? I can't think of any ways in which they're essential to life and limb or anything of that sort...

Am I the only one cognizant of the fact that displaying those "error" messages means those servers still exist and are resolving, eg not down? They just purposefully redirected all queries to a dummy "Sorry, we aren't home now" page.

At midnight ET on Tuesday morning, the American federal government shut down operations as the result of the debt-ceiling crisis.

The debt ceiling crisis isn't for a couple weeks. This was just the fiscal year ending.

This. Debt ceiling debate did not cause this shutdown, at least not directly. Congress did not pass the federal budget... just like back in Clinton days. That inaction has caused the shutdown directly.

I do find it strange that people are acting like this is some unprecedented event...